To the Reader

During the past few months, our editorial team considered the highs and lows of 2010, revisiting the stories, people and groups that had a significant impact on the community. We asked questions: Who moved us? What were the city's turning points — and who was at the center of them? Who taught us lessons about ourselves? Who made us rethink the way we do things around here?

Among the vast possibilities, we were drawn to a group that earned cynics and laughs just 12 months earlier. Outsiders who just didn't understand Richmond, who foolishly thought they could make baseball work at an old, run-down stadium, with a goofy mascot and unrealistic expectations. The Braves were long gone, and so was baseball — right?

The cynics were drowned out by fans. So we name the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the people who brought them here as our 26th Richmonders of the Year. Starting on page 12, News Editor Scott Bass tells the story of how the plan came together, how these baseball outsiders believed in Richmond, and how our hometown came to enthusiastically embrace a new kind of baseball.